Group Chat
by SilverRowan4
Summary: When Lucy is basically stuck in her house, what does she do? Escape into the internet, of course.


**Yeah. Not an update for _RotS _or _BSBH. _Or _The Solo._ Too bad. This is what I wrote. (Be happy with it!)**

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><p>Lucy was bored.<p>

_SO _bored.

_Painfully _bored.

And it was all her father's fault.

Lucy stared blankly out the window, not really seeing the clouds float by. The midday sun was warm on her skin, there was a cool breeze floating through the trees and the sky was a beautiful crystal blue.

She was sick of all of it.

She groaned in despair and buried her head in her arms. Today was her birthday, and she was fourteen years old dammit! Why couldn't she go out and _do _something?

Oh right, because she lived on a freaking gated estate that was the size of a small city. And her father didn't want her mixing with anyone "not up to her social status". The only other people here were the staff, and her father became enraged if he caught her spending time with them. She had stopped testing his patience after he fired one of her best friends, a sweet old lady who baked pastries for all of her father's fancy business dinners and treated her like a favored granddaughter. The rest of the staff had insisted that they didn't mind if she still hung around, but everything was ruined after that. She couldn't bear to lose anybody else, so she had distanced herself. She lost her friends in a completely different way.

Lucy sighed. Yeah, her tenth birthday had been rough.

She stared out the window again, slumped against the sill. She gazed out over the perfectly manicured drive and lawn, out past the pristine gardens and dark forest. Lucy smiled at the shadowed trees with fond memories. She had had many adventures in those magical woods. Her smile slipped off her face. She had been forbidden from them when she was twelve.

She returned to her study of the estate. If you followed the winding drive past the gardens and through the forest for several miles, you would eventually reach the edge of the grounds. She closed her eyes and imagined the gate. She had only been through it once, when she was very little, but her only trip off of the estate was burned into her memories.

The gate was tall and forbidding, a mess of gold-painted iron. The fence stretched on forever and ever, surrounding the Heartphilia Estate in its entirety.

Lucy hated all of it. If she had been allowed out on the grounds _past_ the boringly perfect gardens with flowers she wasn't allowed to touch, she might have been able to be content in living here. But no, she was basically confined to the mansion, which was of an absurdly large size. _Nobody_ needed a three-story, three hundred room house when only two people actually lived there. The darn thing was larger than five-star hotels she had seen on the internet! And she was forbidden from entering precisely half of the house because the rooms were filled with priceless antiques. Another quarter she avoided because she never knew exactly where her father would be in the house, and she hadn't stepped foot in any of the servant's quarters since her awful tenth birthday.

That left about twenty rooms. Twenty rooms that contained her entire life. Every milestone and most of her cherished memories and accomplishments, in twenty rooms of a house she hated. Lucy let out another enormous sigh. At least one of those rooms was the library.

When she was very young, her mother had taught her how to read and find joy in books. Lucy had taken reading like a fish to water. Against her will, a small smile forced its way back onto her face as she thought about that treasured room. Books were the only thing that freed her from the monotony of her supremely _boring_ life.

_Ping!_

Well, not the only thing.

Lucy's face finally lit up in a real smile, and she shoved her rolling chair away from the window and slid towards her desk with a practiced ease. She came to a quick stop in front of her computer and gave her keyboard a quick tap to wake it up. She didn't have her desktop password locked. Why bother? It wasn't like there was anyone around to break into her computer.

The MagnoliaChat icon on her desktop was flashing and she eagerly clicked it. She flicked strands of her long blonde hair out of her eyes, excitedly wondering which of her friends had messaged her. Her smile only grew when the group chat finally popped up.

_Salamander: __**HAPPY BIRTHDAY STAR!**_

_Titania: Yes, Happy Birthday, my dear friend!_

_IceAlchemist: Happy Birthday!_

_Salamander: HAH! I wished her a happy birthday before you did loser!_

_IceAlchemist: That only happened because your internet connection is faster. I typed it and sent it first._

_Salamander: Liar! I was totally first, you goddamned stripper! And besides, Titania beat you too!_

_IceAlchemist: The same thing happened. God, do you even know you have a brain, flame brain?!_

_Salamander: __**You're**__ the stupid one, ice princess!_

_Titania: Boys. Best friends should not fight._

_Titania: Also, I know where both of you live._

_IceAlchemist: We're not fighting! _

_Salamander: Nope, not fighting at all! Just two best friends, kidding around!_

_Titania: Good._

_ScriptMage: ….Well, now that it's safe…. Happy Birthday, Star! I hope you have the best day possible!_

Lucy grinned at the screen. This group chat was the best thing she had ever discovered. Well, besides books.

After her father had banned her from venturing out into the woods, she had fallen into a period of moping and self-pity. Listlessly browsing the web had filled her days. She barely ate or slept, and didn't read at all. She had stumbled on MagnoliaChat entirely by accident and she still couldn't figure out how she had gotten there, even after extensive searches through her browsing history.

When the site had invited her to make an account, she had thought, '_why not?_'. She hadn't expected people to message her right away. And she never would have dreamed that she would make the best friends she had ever had through instant messaging.

_StarGirl: Thank you so much guys! I really appreciate it. :D _

_StarGirl: You really have no idea how much this means to me._

_Titania: I'm pleased that we were able to brighten your day._

_Salamander: Yo Star! Whose happy birthday did you like the best? Mine, right? It was wayyyyyy cooler than the stripper's. And I was first! _

Their cheerful messages and unconditional acceptance had pulled her out of her depression and gave her something to look forward to every day. She finally had someone her age to talk to. And best of all? Her father didn't know about them. There was no way he could take this away from her.

Salamander had been her first friend. His messages were constantly popping up on her screen, the pinging of the alert nearly incessant. ScriptMage had been next, and they instantly bonded over their love of books. Lucy had been ecstatic to meet someone who read the same books as her and could hold an intelligent conversation about them. ScriptMage was followed by IceAlchemist, who she had quickly identified as Salamander's arch frenemie, and then Titania, who kept the boys in line. Her inbox had been flooded with friend requests and she was soon invited to join the group 'Fairy Tail'.

When she questioned the name, a group administrator, DemonGirl, had informed her it was the name of a group they were all part of in real life. Lucy had quickly realized that all of her friends lived in the same area and knew each other in the real world. She had stopped responding to messages for a while, jealous and heartbroken that she was the only one left out. But Salamander's constant messaging hadn't allowed her to remain silent for long.

Her computer erupted into series of pings and she turned her attention back to the screen.

_RainWoman: Happy Birthday, love-rival!_

_DemonGirl: Best wishes for your special day!_

_BeastArm: Birthdays are MANLY!_

_LightningStrike: Happy birthday, I guess…_

_BlackSteel: Congrats Bunny Girl._

_FortuneCard: Hapy Birthday to yu, happi Birfday t yo, Hppy Birhday deer Star, HaPpy Birthdy to YOU! _

_FortuneCard: lol XD_

Lucy grinned as well wishes from every member of Fairy Tail appeared. She thanked all of them, DemonGirl scolded FortuneCard on her spelling and drinking habits, and Salamander and IceAlchemist started to fight again. They were mercilessly shut down by Titiania.

After about an hour of discussing the World Cup, people began to sign off, and soon it was just ScriptMage, Salamander, and StarGirl.

_ScriptMage: Star, that author is horrible. He always ends in cliffhangers, and all the female characters are whiny and weak!_

_Salamander: I'm bored._

_StarGirl: But the books are so addictive! I have to read them so I can know how it ends!_

_Salamander: I'm bored._

_ScriptMage: Ugh! I know! I hate myself every time I pick up a copy. I just have to know! :S_

_Salamander: I'm bored._

_StarGirl: The struggle is real. *sigh*_

_Salamander: I'm still bored._

_ScriptMage: Star, I'm sorry, I have to go. My mom is calling me. She wants me to do chores. :(_

_StarGirl: Okay, but next time you have to PM me so we can talk about 'you know who'._

_Salamander: Who's you know who? Voldemort? I thought you guys were done talking about those books!_

*ScriptMage has signed off*

_StarGirl: Voldemort is 'he who must not be named', and no, that's not who we were talking about._

_Salamander: Ok, fine weirdo! Just deny that your entire life is about books. :P_

_StarGirl: I don't deny that. I embrace it. I will shout my love of literature from the rooftops if need be._

_StarGirl: And I'm not weird! :S_

_Salamander: Sure, sure. Just keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night._

_StarGirl: Idiot._

_Salamander: Aw, c'mon Star! Be nice._

_StarGirl: Fine. You're not a _complete_ idiot. ;) _

They bickered back and forth for hours. The friendly teasing was lighthearted and fun, but as time wore on and day slid slowly into night, the conversation became more serious. They worked their way to an argument that inevitably occurred every couple of weeks.

He wanted to know her name.

_Salamander: Come on Star! It's not like I'm some creepy old man who's trying to pick up younger girls!_

_StarGirl: I know that! But I can't give you my name._

_Salamander: Why not? It can be an even trade. My name for yours. I'll even go first!_

_StarGirl: NO! I told you, no names, no faces, no locations!_

When he had first contacted her, Salamander had wanted to know everything about her. It's not that she didn't trust him. She just couldn't bring herself to exchange the information. Lucy wanted nothing more to know his name, what he looked like, how his voice sounded, but that would only make this harder. It already killed her to read her friend's words, knowing that she would never meet them in the flesh. Him especially.

_Salamander: Star, please? I want to know you._

She bit her lip, fingers hovering over the keys. She could feel her resolve wavering and she chewed harder.

Could it really be so bad? Would it really hurt as much as she told herself it would?

Her teeth broke through her lip and she snatched her hands away from the keyboard. She was dimly aware of tears running down her cheeks.

Yes. Yes, it would.

She typed out a hard, fast answer.

_StarGirl: Do you have any how hard it is to be the only one who's not really part of the group? If you guys start talking about school, or clubs, or even the freaking weather, I'm always the odd one out. Most of the time, I can pretend. Pretend it doesn't matter. That being friends with you isn't hard. But if I know any more about anyone, ESPECIALLY you, I won't be able to do it._

Her words were sharp and vicious. Every pent up frustration came roaring out, even the ones directed at her father, at her captivity. Her heart was throbbing as she typed.

_StarGirl: So, no. That's final._

_StarGirl: Don't ask again._

*StarGirl has signed off*

_Salamander: No, wait! Come back! _

_Salamander: Star, I'm sorry!_

_Salamander: I promise I won't ask again._

The dim glow of her screen lit her face as she watched his messages continue to pop up on the screen. Salamander was a persistent little bugger. He kept messaging her for over an hour after she signed off, pleading with her to respond. He knew her so well by now that he knew she was still sitting in front of the computer.

_Salamander: Ok Star, I'm signing off now. They're yelling at me to go to bed. Pfft, it's only 10._

_Salamander: The name stuff isn't as important as being your friend, so please don't shut me out again, ok?_

_Salamander: You're my best friend StarGirl. Goodnight._

*Salamander has signed off*

Lucy wiped her face and glanced at the clock on her computer. Three o'clock in the morning. A hysterical sob tried to bubble out of her throat.

They weren't even in the same time zones.

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><p><strong>Apparently I like bittersweet chapter endings. Huh. Learn something new everyday. So yeah, college is kicking my butt, homework sucks, and go Coogs. (I guess). <strong>

**Rate and review, critique, shoot me a PM. I love it when people want to talk to me.**

**I tried to give all of Natsu's lines extra exclamation points and stuff, but the editing thingy wouldn't let me keep them. (It won't let me keep angry eyebrows either!)**

**This is LOOSELY (loosey goosey) based on Homestuck. I got the idea when I started thinking about how none of the humans had actually met each other until Sburb happened. (There will be no going into some absurd game that is actually a disguise for creating a universe in this story. Nope. Hussie can have that ALL to himself.)**

**Why Lucy? Apparently I really identify with her. I highly enjoy writing from her POV. Plus, there is SO much information about her childhood, and it's easy to imagine that she had very few friends growing up, especially after her mom died.**

**Rowan out.**


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